... Grilled Salmon with Gazpacho Salsa

So here it is, the inaugural blog post. I suppose this is like with anything else, you just jump in and see what happens... right? One thing was for sure, the first post had to be a good one. You be the judge.

The recipe for Grilled Salmon with Gazpacho Salsa came from my Nordstrom Friends & Family cookbook. I've had it for a couple years now and I'm ashamed to say that this may be the first recipe I've made from it. There's a first time for everything, though, and it definitely won't be the last. The recipe was really easy and didn't call for crazy or expensive ingredients... yea!

As we do with most (ok, all) new (or old) recipes we make, Rich and I started by opening a bottle of red. This one was really great... straight from Sonoma Valley. Thanks Kate & Jimmy! The only thing that disappointed me about it was knowing you can only get the black label Cellar 8 at their winery in Sonoma. Looks like I may need to book a little vacay soon!

Ok, the recipe... chopping up the veggies was the most time consuming part. And really, that didn't even take too long. Once I finished the salsa, I popped it in the frige and Rich got started on the salmon. Prepping the salmon was super easy (especially since Rich did it) and all it called for was olive oil, salt and pepper. To the grill for 4-5 minutes per side and voila! dinner is ready.

We served it up with a big garden salad and some warm, crusty whole grain bread. I know the picture quality isn't exactly the same, but I'd say we did a pretty good job, don't you think?

Grilled Salmon with Gazpacho Salsa

serves 6

8 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded, diced and drained

1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

3 green onions, including green tops, finely chopped

1/2 cup diced red onion

1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and diced

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 1/2 pounds salmon fillet, skinned and cut into 6 equal portions, each about 4 inches square

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

vegetable oil for brushing

To make the Gazpacho Salsa, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, green onions, red onion, bell pepper, vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Prepare a medium fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill on medium.

Rub the salmon pieces with a light amount of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Brush the grill grate generously with vegetable oil. Place the salmon directly over the fire. Cover the grill and cook on one side until a spatula inserted under the salmon easily lifts the fillet, about 4 minutes. Turn the salmon about 90 degrees to create attractive cross-hatching and cook for 1 minute longer. Carefully flip the salmon over and continue grilling, covered, until opaque throughout and the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork, about 4 minutes.

Using a wide spatula, transfer the salmon to warmed dinner plates. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the Gazpacho Salsa over each portion of grilled salmon and serve immediately.

Taylor's notes:

We cut this recipe in half and used 1 1/2 pounds of salmon which was more than plenty for the two of us. Rich bought the salmon skin-on, so prepared the skinless side with olive oil, salt and pepper. He grilled the salmon skin-side down for 4 minutes, flipped the salmon and peeled off the skin. He then oiled, salted and peppered that side and continued with the grilling. He flipped the salmon back over and grilled that side for another minute. Even after halving the salsa recipe, we had a lot leftover. I think it'll be tasty on top of grilled chicken or pork in the next day or two.

Enjoy!